It Was My Dearm That Screwed Up!
by Black666Hunter
Summary: Dreams and Reality, sometimes they can be hard to tell apart.


I had always dreamed of going somewhere special, somewhere different. When the time comes I will get there, but the path will be dangerous.

There had once been a time that I had been free to be who I wanted and never have to worry, then the dreams came and my world changed forever. They were the kind of dreams that would make a normal person panic.

I dreamt that a unit of Freedom Fighters would betray me, I had not wanted to believe that it was possible and that they would never leave me behind. Freedom Fighters look out for each other and no Marine would purposefully leave another behind to be tortured for hours on end.

Every time the dream came, I was a huddling, shivering mass; too scared to sleep but too scared to lay there awake. 

I never told the other Freedom Fighters about these dreams, I knew they would ridicule me and I just wanted to forget all about them. Every night it was the same dream, repeatedly. Then one night, just before a major assault, it changed slightly. I was no longer the one who died I became the one who gave the order to leave someone else behind. I had done that before. I was not so scared after that.

I always kept two different blasters will me at all times. I was not fully willing to kill everyone so I carried one blaster loaded a stun canister for use against my allies. No one knew about it, not even my partner, Strap.

The day of the assault dawned bright and clear, a near perfect day, with just a slight breeze, I led my team out the back of our base and across the open plains. We kept low and well spread out. As I entered the canyon we were using for cover along the east side I looked over my shoulder just as I heard a shot and saw my Second in Command drop into the dust, the cloud of blood slowly vanishing too. My stomach turned ice cold; this was just like my dream. It felt like a knife had hit me in the chest as I stared back at where he had fallen. Not too many people could get into Strap's heart, yet when we first met I knew he was perfect for me. I had been planning to tell him the truth and welcome him into my family, but it was too late now.

I swallowed my fear as the remaining men and women silently slipped in amongst the trees and looked to me for guidance. I looked around the circle and grinned slightly.  
'Don't worry people, we'll make it. We always make it.' there were several returning grins and a couple nods as we leapt for cover and headed south heading for the low stone wall that lined the edge of the property's large house yard and out beyond that lay the main target. I still could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. I just hoped it was not showing on my face.

We were to get into the house and rescues several trapped hostages without any of the guards around the area sighting us. I knew the truth about the mission but I also knew that if I told the truth I would be shot. Already I knew that we had been caught out, if they had seen Strap my team chief then there was a good chance that we had all been spotted. I knew that I should not have been this worried but I just could not shake the feeling of fear. I was feeling a little guilty about the Freedom Fighters who had come to see me as their leader; I also knew that if they lived, my family would be banished from the country.

I whipped my field binoculars up and did a quick sweep of the open rooftop. I saw two men patrolling and I watched both, learning their paths and working out the best way to deal with both.  
'Everybody down' I hissed softly and everyone flattened themselves against the ground and wall, trying to stay out of sight of the rooftop. I passed my blaster to Tona who was lying next to me and swung up my long range blaster.

I took careful aim on the first man just as he walked across the open roof, a tiny flash and he dropped and rolled off the roof. My long range blaster had a stun canister in it, so the mouse was not dead, just stunned. I swung my aim around a little and lined the other up just he stepped out from behind the chimney. Another tiny flash and he too rolled off the roof. I swung my sight back across the roof again just to make sure. It was clear. I prayed that my true love had not been on sniper duty.

I pointed behind me at two of the members of my team as Tona passed me back my blaster. They nodded and rose, still crouching low and headed further along the wall before diving over it and running for the second of three walls. I pointed the other pair further down the wall before they followed and I ran across the open expanse last.

A laser blast whipped past my eyes as I rolled to a stop next to the wall and was just about to fire back but someone else got the shot.  
'Thanks Crash.' I whispered.  
'Always watching, Giant.' came a hushed reply over my left shoulder. I glanced over the wall and swore softly. I pulled my head back down before I lost it because there if front of us, as if by magic stood a full unit of Army Brats.  
'Heads up everyone, we have a completely new ball game out there. Watch your heads and lets kill us a few Army wimps.' there was a soft laugh from some of the older Freedom Fighters as we popped up and opened fire. Mark drew a grenade from his webbing, counted to three and lobbed it. We all ducked back down as it exploded. I stuck my head back up just as the smoke cleared and I saw nothing short of a massacre. I had not expected him to use them but his own bodyguards would do anything to keep him alive.  
'Not bad Mark. Something feels wrong though.' I uttered as we all took in the scene before us.  
'I know what you mean Giant; this is just way too easy at the moment. There should have been some kind of retaliation attack during that fire fight.' Tona uttered. I nodded and as one, we leapt up, dashed past the fallen Army boys as well as the third wall, and dropped into a large rockery that marked the innermost area of the large garden.

I shrugged and scrambled back a little way, this whole situation was excessively like my dream.  
'Here's what we do. Tona and Crash, head around to the west and see if you can find a way in, Slash and Mark go east, deal with any escape attempts before trying to gain access. I'll stay here and cover your crossings before attempting my own entry.' I snarled.

There was a quick scuffle of feet and they were gone. I settled my blaster back on the ground, swung my long range blaster back up into position, and slowly swept my gaze across the open expanse in front of me. I had no intention of covering them but they need not know that.

I heard two blaster shots from the west and gulped. A quick radio check proved that raising either soldier was hopeless. One shot from east and I realised with absolute horror that my original dream was coming true. I had lost four soldiers in the space of thirty minutes!  
'Slash, can you read me. Come in Mark.' I called into my radio 'Slash, reading you loud and clear, Mark is dead.' The shocked reply carried with it a trace of fear. Slash and Mark had been in a long-term relationship for the last nine months, just as I had been in one with Strap for at least six.  
'I know it hurts, Slash, stay were you are, I am coming to collect you'  
'Negative on that Giant, I'm surr…' I heard the final shot and the signal died.  
'Rest in piece all of you.' I whispered before crawling out from under the shrubbery, leaving my blaster behind and just carrying my Long Range Sniper Blaster in one hand. It had been a gift from and old and dear friend.

I attempted to approach the main door but it was too late when I realised I was surrounded by four men. I scowled and lowered my Long Range. I knew that I was going to die but for some reason I was not afraid. I felt as though I was going to beat the odds and prove that I was better than these men were.  
'Well look what we have here.' one of them crowed. 'A Martian Freedom Fighter,' I looked him in the eye, drawing myself up to my full six feet of height.  
'I am Sergeant Falcon Hunter of the Freedom Fighters of Mars. Serial number 364-9800,' I looked straight into the eyes of the mouse facing me, my eyes hard and unforgiving. He stared back for a while before he cracked under my gaze.  
'Too bad about your unit there, Sergeant.' the man behind me spoke up. He put so much sarcasm into the title that I was temped to kick him but I knew that would not help me at all.

They stripped me of everything I had and marched me into the house in just my fatigues. I looked around and felt as though I was home yet I could not have possibly been. Everything was there yet it seemed to be haunted by an extra something.

A voice echoed down the corridor we were standing in.  
'Welcome to my house Sergeant Hunter. Please feel free to enter the library straight ahead. Guards, you may leave. Oh, and return his long range blaster. I am not afraid.' something in my head told me the voice was important, the guards seemed to fear it. One of them, the same one who had insulted me before, handed me back my rifle and I slung it back across my shoulder and I stepped forward and entered the library. I had not expected him to be here, that's what made it feel so strange.

My eyes widened as I took in what surrounded me, floor to ceiling bookshelves along three walls, filled with all my favourite writers. The fourth wall contained an open fireplace that was blazing merrily and two high back leather-reading chairs. One of the chairs turned slightly, swinging around and revealed a pleasant surprise.  
'I told you I would make it home Decal.' he looked up from the book he had been reading before he set it aside and leapt to his feet.  
'Emily, I knew you would survive.' he rushed to me and me embraced warmly. I kissed him passionately as we both just enjoyed the feeling of being in each other's arms again.

We broke apart and I flopped down into one of the chairs, Decal handed me a bourbon and coke. I took it and gratefully took a long slug.

'You are not going to believe how easy that was. Everything went to plan. The computer system has been bugged and Arran has been secured.' Decal smiled 'Where is he?' I leant forward slightly in my chair and smiled.  
'Come in Dakota, the coast is clear.' Decal glanced at my wrist and saw the tiny radio transmitter there.  
'Where do you have the receiver hidden?' Decal asked me just before a third voice broke into our conversation.  
'Decal, am I glad too see you.' Decal spun around and there, standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe was Dakota, a very close friend to both Decal and me.  
'Dakota, I'm just glad you're alive and well.' Dakota smiled softly as he settled down in Decal's chair and closed his eyes.

You see, I had never been a Freedom Fighter; I just 'transferred' in from a base in a distant quadrant that had no record of me every being there. I was a mercenary and a very good one at that. By using my real name, I had been able to get in through all the layers of defence surrounding the mainframe computer that held all the information about all Freedom Fighter missions as well as most of the Freedom Fighter personnel files. At a quarter past eight tomorrow morning the bug I had installed would rear its ugly head and wipe all that info, and so much more. The Freedom Fighters would be crippled for years.

Dakota was a good mouse and a fantastic pilot, unfortunately Decal was way too famous for his exploits to go chasing after him so we created a completely new identity that gave me the ability to bring the Freedom Fighters crashing to their knees.

It had been a shared plan between the three of us for mousey years; it was only when Dakota was bugged we had been forced to move faster. Instead of sending us all the data taken from the Freedom Fighters computers, it would simply disappear forever.

The dreams were over but life would go on for the three most successful mercenaries in the world. The three of us were unstoppable and we knew it. 


End file.
